I am considering purchasing the new GTO, but was wondering how it is as a daily driver, and how is it in bad weather? I would have to drive it throughout the winter, although in nyc our winters arent horrible. Has anyone ever driven it in snow? Do you think it is a good idea or bad? I will drive this bad boy every day for like ten years if i buy it lol
Daily driver?
1 - 15 of 15 Posts
U used to live in NYC (upper east). It will work, however, the salt/ sand will tear it up like every other car there. Honestly I would do it- you have traction control so your wheels wont spin. I love it & not many peeps in NY have it so it will be unique!
arty:
arty:The GTO is an excellent daily driver. I'm in central PA and also drive mine year round on a 45 mile 1 way commute every day. That's about 20,000 miles per year. It is reasonably quiet for a performance car. The ride is a nice combination of good handling and comfort. My mileage with 90% of my commute being highway miles is approx 22-23 mpg with the 6 spd. Not bad for 400HP. The sound system is not the best but OK. The car has been trouble free for the most part.
If you try and drive it in snow or ice with the OEM tires or any summer performance tire, it will be extremely dangerous. I put Bridgestone Blizzak WS50's on mine and it is very well behaved in snow and ice. Winter tire technology has really come a long way in the last ten years. Don't leave home without them!
It would be nice if the GTO had a few more amenities for long hours behind the wheel....Satellite Radio, Bluetooth, Buttwarmers, etc. But, that can be taken care of in the aftermarket.
One warning, if you are going to pile on the miles as a daily driver, think about a clear-bra. I have 30K miles on my 05 and there are about a dozen paints chips on the front end that are all rusting to some degree. Apparently the Aussies or GM in general doesn't do very well with primer or corrosion protection. At any rate, I can envision repainting the front end after 4-5 years.
Good Luck!
My thoughts...if you bought it to be a daily driver, don't worry about rain, snow or whatever. All season tires may do OK in light snow. Don't attempt to go out with the summer 18s though. You will be very sorry. Some guys have a beater for very bad snow days. On my last RWD car ('stang GT), I had a set of winter wheels & tires (Eagle Ultra Grip) and I had no problems during our Michigan winters. That's my plan for the GTO...winter wheels/performance winter tires.
Joined
·
141 Posts
What they said. There have been several threads just like this one. You can do a search and get a bunch more reactions. I've posted several times in response and love the car in winter with my Blizzaks.
Couple of points:
T/C will NOT keep you from spinning your tires in bad weather.
That said, if you look back 30 years, all cars were RWD, and people still had to get from point a to point b in the winter. The cars were simply used, and driven with good sense, and also driven with snow tires. All weather tires are pretty much a joke when used with RWD in snow.
I had two Roadrunners back in the early 70's and drove them both in the snow. Put on the snow tires, added some weight in the trunk, and off you go.
I would think the T/C would eliminate the need to put sand or cinderblocks in the trunk.
T/C will NOT keep you from spinning your tires in bad weather.
That said, if you look back 30 years, all cars were RWD, and people still had to get from point a to point b in the winter. The cars were simply used, and driven with good sense, and also driven with snow tires. All weather tires are pretty much a joke when used with RWD in snow.
I had two Roadrunners back in the early 70's and drove them both in the snow. Put on the snow tires, added some weight in the trunk, and off you go.
I would think the T/C would eliminate the need to put sand or cinderblocks in the trunk.
I drove mine the first winter I had it (didnt have my truck yet). winter tires would have been nice but the stock BFG's werent too bad, after all its a high HP and high TQ RWD car. It can get a little hairy in the snow but it can be done. I guess if I put it like this, I never got in an accident, spun out or had any close calls, but took it easy in the snow that may answer your question better. Now, Hills may be a different story.
Joined
·
133 Posts
It is an awesome daily driver. Very "tame" if you want it to be. I can drive it like any other car skip shifting and everything. It gets great gas mileage when you drive it like that too. The great thing is that it does have all those horses so when you want to go you can really go. Great for those friday afternoons when all you want to do is go home. I live in colorado springs, co which is right up against the mountains and we get lots of snow. It drives fine in light snow, just use common sense when driving. I would get home asap when it starts to snow though. I do have an old beater jeep that i drive when the snow gets really bad.
Hills are not a problem with a manual, but it would be tricky in an automatic. You can feather the clutch and keep the power out of it until the wheels start to move the car. I know because I love to drive mine in the snow. and I live at the top of a hill that is over a 40 degree incline.
This car is a very comfortable daily driver. It is considered a luxury sports car in Au.
Thank you for all the info!
I am leaning towards getting a black on black manual with the 18" wheels. Is there a noticeable difference in the ride between the 17-18 wheels? I looked at tire rack and i can get the 25 series blizzacks or whatever in the 18" size. Would this get me through a nyc winter? The sucky part...I live on a hill.. ONE WAY DOWN LOL you have to pull into a spot, you cant back up.... I dont care if you have a hummer - aint happening lol My neighbor has an avalanche and he can barely do it.
The real thing making me hesitant aside the winter is the struts. I know how much dealers can suck. You dont invest any money for a headache! I wouldnt even mind getting them repaired, but the car better feel brand new after and I have read some horror stories about the ride after a repair.
In my research I've heard people upgrade theres via "pedders" parts? Is that a wise investment - does it void the warranty? I love cars, but I am no mechanic. Does anyone know a good place around nyc, central nj?
I might go next week and check out the black one, but once you show up the dealers are like vampires.lol Maybe they will have better incentives for October??? I dont want to spend over 27K on the car and want to get an extended warranty lol
I am leaning towards getting a black on black manual with the 18" wheels. Is there a noticeable difference in the ride between the 17-18 wheels? I looked at tire rack and i can get the 25 series blizzacks or whatever in the 18" size. Would this get me through a nyc winter? The sucky part...I live on a hill.. ONE WAY DOWN LOL you have to pull into a spot, you cant back up.... I dont care if you have a hummer - aint happening lol My neighbor has an avalanche and he can barely do it.
The real thing making me hesitant aside the winter is the struts. I know how much dealers can suck. You dont invest any money for a headache! I wouldnt even mind getting them repaired, but the car better feel brand new after and I have read some horror stories about the ride after a repair.
In my research I've heard people upgrade theres via "pedders" parts? Is that a wise investment - does it void the warranty? I love cars, but I am no mechanic. Does anyone know a good place around nyc, central nj?
I might go next week and check out the black one, but once you show up the dealers are like vampires.lol Maybe they will have better incentives for October??? I dont want to spend over 27K on the car and want to get an extended warranty lol
Joined
·
115 Posts
answer yr first ? 17-18 wheels yes there is def a ride dif. the 18s give u a more harder ride then the 17s . thats why i went 17s. as for the struts i dont think it would void warrenty something ud have to look into i dont have any problems with mine so couldnt answer that one. mechanic in ny where do u live my brother lives there and maybe if u live area near him i could have u hook up with him.
Joined
·
4 Posts
i am a college student in toledo, i have to drive it every day, it does hurt me some time but i love driving it so much that its ok. i kind of think driving it in the snow works best with a full tank of gas. also i like the traction control off because then i know what the car is going to do, i dont think the tc helps that much in the snow, start in second gear if you get a stick and then short shift that was the best for me. i drove a 81 corvette in the snow all year round and i never had any problems. the front suspention does a great job stoping you, good luck and once you drive it you wont want to put it away for the winter.
blue dream
blue dream
Joined
·
45 Posts
I drive my GTO everyday to and from work, about 35 miles daily. The only problems you will encounter is the occassional rock flying from someone's tire or potholes, etc. but, that's why we pay insurance.:cheers
1 - 15 of 15 Posts
